Fresh Bidding Under UDAN: 4 New Air Routes In Odisha Under Consideration

New Delhi: The Centre has called for a fresh round of bidding under the regional connectivity scheme for routes which remained uncovered under UDAN 3. Four routes in Odisha have been proposed by the State Government. They are:

A.Bhubaneswar-Utkela
B.Utkela-Raipur
C.Jeypore-Bhubaneswar
D.Jharsuguda-Ranchi

“The Ministry of Civil Aviation issued the Regional Connectivity Scheme to enhance regional connectivity by encouraging airline operators who fulfill the eligibility criteria set out in the Scheme, to operate RCS Flights on various routes. Subsequently, the Ministry of Civil Aviation awarded various routes under UDAN 3.0. A number of state governments are desirous of utilizing the Scheme to further enhance point-to-point air connectivity of certain
airports in their respective states,” the bidding documents said.

The bidding and registration has started from Friday. The technical bids will open on February 23 and selected airline operators will be announced on February 27.

Jharsuguda reaped rich dividend from UDAN 3 as it got air connectivity to Kolkata, Bhubaneswar, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Delhi and Raipur.

Odisha has got an annual viability gap funding of Rs 101 crore, making it the second most beneficial state after after Karnataka under UDAN 3.